NHRC notices to K'taka,Maha govts over hysterectomy procedures

The National Human Rights Commission has issued notices to the governments of Karnataka and Maharashtra over reports of hysterectomy procedures being performed on unsuspecting women in the two states.
The Commission today said it has taken suo motu cognisance of the media report that an unusual large number of hysterectomy procedures have been performed to remove uterus from unsuspecting women in Kalaburagi district of Karnataka allegedly for commercial reasons as there were no medical justifications behind them.
The victims' lives were put at stake as they suffered many complications after the surgery, the NHRC said in a statement.
"Reportedly, Umarga area in Osmanabad district of Maharashtra has also emerged as a 'hysterectomy hub' and they are getting patients from border villages of Kalaburagi district of Karnataka.

"There have been interventions in the matter by the Karnataka State Commission for Women, the Karnataka government as well as the civil society but a concrete action is yet to be taken to stop the menace," the NHRC said in a statement.
The Commission has issued notices to the Chief Secretaries of the governments of Karnataka and Maharashtra and sought detailed reports in the matter in four weeks.

It has observed that the content of the media report raise serious issue of violation of human rights of the poor patients, mostly illiterates and coming from rural background.
"It has also observed that the way, the doctors and hospitals are performing the hysterectomy procedures in an inconsiderate and negligent manner and putting the lives of the patients to risk, is a matter of concern for it. The state government is bound to protect the right to life and right to health care of the citizens," the NHRC said.

According to the report carried on February 26, the patients, who agreed for the hysterectomy were "misled" by doctors and they have suffered health complications after the surgery. The victims have complained of backache, weakness, prolonged tiredness, chest pain and even partial vision loss, it said.
"It is mentioned that four women from the village Kolagunda gollarahatti in Hasan district had undergone hysterectomy procedure and one of them died three months later," the Commission said.
An inquiry committee constituted by the Karnataka State Commission for Women in September 2015 investigated the issue and submitted its report in April 2016, but "no action" has been taken on their recommendations, it said.

Reportedly, a large number of complaints in this regard had prompted the state government to form an expert committee in the year 2015, which found that 2,258 hysterectomy procedures were done in a period of 30 months in the Kalaburagi, the NHRC said.